


To Be Starlight and Legend

by IsiloAranel



Series: Home is Within You [2]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, I love epigraphs, Original Character(s), Pre-Relationship, Sebastian/Female Player, Slow Burn, Song Lyrics, some strong language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26972254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsiloAranel/pseuds/IsiloAranel
Summary: It's Spirit's Eve in Pelican Town. Sebastian surprises Eva with a fairytale dress as her costume.This is a small, fluffy piece that did not fit in the flow of my larger Stardew Valley fic "Longing for Home", but I loved it too much to not write it. I thought I'd pop it up here, just in time for Halloween!
Relationships: Sebastian/Farmer, Sebastian/original character
Series: Home is Within You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1968367
Kudos: 18





	To Be Starlight and Legend

> “We will get you a dress with magic, just as in the stories,” he said seriously.  
>  “But they’re only stories, Gillie. Magic isn’t real.”  
>  “We will make it real.”  
>  \- Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Silver Woven in My Hair

Eva hummed along with the song Sebastian was playing on the keyboard as she padded down the farmhouse stairs. Sam had managed to get the _Squid Kids_ a gig at a musical festival in the city, scheduled a couple of months out. As a result, Sebastian had been practicing almost constantly. Eva had heard the band’s entire repertoire of songs so often, she had begun singing or humming them to herself, often without consciously doing so. She had even started hearing her favorites in her sleep. When Sebastian wasn’t practicing, he was plinking out notes or scribbling lyrics for new songs in a tattered notebook. Eva had not heard most of the new songs he was writing. Sebastian always wore headphones when he was playing the new tunes and he had yet to sing them while she was around. He always stopped as soon as she walked in the front door, ducking his head to hide behind his hair. It had made her curious about the new songs, but she respected Sebastian’s privacy and didn’t ask. Eva’s humming turned into soft singing as she reached the bottom of the steps.

_It's too close for comfort, ooh  
It's a thief in the night to come and grab you  
It can creep up inside you and consume you  
A disease of the mind it can control you  
I feel like a monster_

From his spot on the couch, Naru bristled at the sight of the cat ears on Eva’s head and hissed. The sound caused Sebastian to stop playing, looking up. “A black cat?” he asked, shaking his head. He leaned back to see the fluffy tail she was pinning to the back of her black leggings and snorted. “That’s very original.”

“I’m always a black cat for Spirit’s Eve,” Eva stated. Naru bolted over the back of the couch, across the final keys of Sebastian’s keyboard, and disappeared into Sebastian’s room, hissing the entire way. Eva ignored her cat. Naru had never gotten used to her cat costume, even though she had owned it for years. She knew he would spend the next week avoiding her out of anger. “I never know what else to be. It’s not like I got invited to a lot of Spirit’s Eve parties in the city, so I never invested in a different costume.”

Sebastian just smirked at her, then shook out the billowing sleeves of his costume shirt and went back to playing. Eva saw he had a black cloak draped over one of the couch’s arms, a clear plastic case containing a set of vampire fangs on top. He had slicked his long bangs back, leaving his face completely free of shadows for the first time Eva was aware of. She opened her mouth to return the teasing, preparing to tell him his going to the town’s festival as a vampire was just as unoriginal as her old standby, but he spoke first. “I guess it’s a good thing I got you a better costume,” he said. “It’s hanging in the bathroom.”

Eva narrowed her eyes at him. “You didn’t win that bet,” she said, even though she was already moving towards the bathroom. 

“I know,” Sebastian called after her. “But it was too good of an idea to waste.” He started playing again, picking the notes of the song back up as easily as if he had not stopped at all. 

Eva stepped into the bathroom, her mind whirling with possibilities of what the costume could be. A black garment bag hung from a wall hook near the shower and two boxes sat on the ottoment standing next to the clawfoot tub. There were no store or brand markings on the bag or the largest of the boxes. Eva recognized the logo on the second box. It belonged to one of the best shoe stores in Zuzu City. Eva tilted her head in confusion for a moment, then unzipped the garment bag. 

A gasp escaped her lips when she saw the dress inside. Eva reached out and brushed her fingertips over the shimmering blue fabric, the light from above the vanity dancing across the silver embroidery like spun starlight. Eva gently pulled it free from the bag. Draping sleeves, slashed open just above the elbow, and a full, flowing skirt unfolded when she did. For a long moment, Eva stared at the off-the shoulder cut of the neckline and the blue jewelled necklace that hung from the hanger above it. Her brain was so shocked at the dress’ beauty, Eva could think of little else. She shook her head slowly, trying to understand why Sebastian had bought this as her costume. 

Her brain stuttered back to full function, finally, and a stunned smile spread across her face. “It’s Avyana’s dress,” she whispered to herself, pressing her fingers against her lips. It was the dress she had designed in her head for her D&D character, when the party had needed a distraction during a nobleman’s lavish party. Her character had been that distraction, keeping the town’s ruler, Lord Grigore Ambrosone, distracted with dancing and flirtations for the duration of the ball. That lord had been revealed to be a vampire, though he had also been innocent in the plot that had brought the party to the town. A cult had been behind that, framing their lord for a series of gruesome, ritual murders. Eva had loved his character and how Sebastian had portrayed him -- a gentle, kind man who had been turned during his years in the army, he only fed on criminals convicted to death for heinous crimes or on the blood that was discarded from the local mortuaries -- enough so that she had pushed for Sebastian to allow a budding romance to form between her Avyana and the vampire lord. Sebastian had refused to allow any romance at his table. It was a long standing rule -- “because of Abigail,” he had said. He had stuck to that conviction, until Eva had wagered for it during one of their pool games. She won and Sebastian had been forced to write it into the campaign, making Lord Ambrosone a recurring NPC and ally to the party. Sebastian would roll his eyes every time Eva mentioned Ambrosone during game nights, and Eva would only reply by haughtily insisting that every good tale needed a legendary romance. She was simply providing it. 

A giggle bubbled up from Eva’s chest. She whirled away from the dress and threw the tops off both boxes. The marked box contained silvery heels, which was no real surprise to Eva, considering the logo on the lid. Eva breathed out another gasp as she lifted a delicate crown from the larger, unmarked box. The crown had been wrought of a fine silver metal. Deep blue stones matching the necklace and dress gleamed from nests of pearls and clear crystals. A pair of dangling earrings was also nestled in the box, the blue jewels glimmering as if they had constellations trapped inside their facets. 

Still holding the crown in her hands, Eva danced to the doorway. “It’s gorgeous,” she called. Words failed her after that and she giggled, loudly. 

The piano notes faltered and stopped. “Then put it on,” Sebastian answered. “We’re going to be late.”

Eva shouldered the bathroom door closed and leaned against it, holding the crown against her chest. She bit her bottom lip and let herself giggle like a schoolgirl for a minute longer before she pushed away from the door and set to redoing her makeup and hair. A swipe of pearlescent eyeshadow over her dark smokey eye and a subtle touch of dark blue beneath her lower lashes was all it took. Eva tossed her cat ear headband aside, shaking her hair from its bun and quickly pinning it up, then set the crown in place. 

Once she had the dress, jewelry, and shoes on, Eva stared at her reflection in the long mirror on the back of the door. Her whole form shimmered and glinted as she turned, first this way and then the other. She felt like a little girl playing dress-up, like a fairytale princess who had stepped out of the pages of a book. “I’m never taking this off,” she breathed. 

Eva stepped out of the bathroom, holding the hem of the dress up to keep from stepping on it. She found Sebastian standing beside the couch, shrugging into a waistcoat of dark purple. When he picked up the case containing the costume fangs, Eva’s mind screeched to a halt. _He’s… He’s Lord Ambrosone. That’s why he’s a vampire. Once that thought finished echoing through her head, a million thoughts crashed through all at one. What does this mean? For us? Is there an us? Is this a couples’ costume? But, we’re not a couple…_ Despite that reality -- they were nothing more than friends -- her mind began spinning a fiction, throwing disjointed images of what life might be like if they were more than friends. Her heart raced, both with a want for that life and a sudden fear of having it. She remembered Haley’s words from months before. _He’s a heartbreaker._ Eva shoved those fantasies away, not wanting to face the idea that she could be vulnerable, imperfect, just Eva around Sebastian. That’s not how life worked for her. She had to be strong, had to keep moving forward, or she would be a failure. Eva shook her head, trying to clear her head. Instead of giving voice to any of her thoughts, she crossed her arms and smoothed her face into a cold expression. “I should slap you,” she grumbled.

Her comment startled Sebastian as he was trying to put the set of fangs into his mouth. They tumbled back into his hands and his head whirled to her. “Why?” he asked cautiously, even as his eyes swept over her. It was a subtle look, but without his hair hanging over half of his face Eva could see it plainly. It made her wonder just how many instances of that same look she had missed and her heart leapt into her throat. She could not quite push it back down into its proper place. It made Eva scowl a little more. Sebastian saw her expression shift and he held his hands up. “What did I do?”

“You led me to believe you were thinking of some ridiculously revealing outfit, like a slutty maid costume,” Eva answered, still leveling the same unamused glare at him, despite her racing heart and thoughts. 

Sebastian laughed and put his costume fangs into his mouth. “I wouldn’t have picked a maid outfit,” he answered as he set the fangs in place. Then, he lifted the cloak from the couch and swung it over his shoulders.

Eva bit her bottom lip, thinking, before she quietly said, “This must have cost a small fortune.” She thought about his plans to leave Pelican Town and strike out on his own in Zuzu City, and how so much of what was holding him back was the money. Why he would set himself back just to buy her a Spirit’s Eve costume was beyond her. “It’s a custom piece.”

Fastening his cloak in place, Sebastian shrugged. “Emily enjoys a challenge. She squealed when I asked her. And Clint owed me a favor.”

“I don’t know what I want to ask about first,” Eva said. “Why Clint owed you a favor, or how Emily got my measurements?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You haven’t been rummaging through my clothes, have you?”

Sebastian flashed a grin over his shoulder at her, still fiddling with his cloak. “No need,” he answered. “You did sell a bunch of your clothes to Emily’s sister, remember? She figured your sizes out from those.”

Eva smiled back. “And the reason Clint owed you?” she gently pressed.

“Taking that one to my grave.”

“You’re a vampire,” Eva replied. “You don’t have a grave, just a coffin.”

Sebastian started laughing. “Then you have even less chance of finding out.” He turned to fully face her and gazed at her. “Do you like it?” he asked softly. 

Eva let her arms drop to her side. She could not help the movement that sent the dress swirling around her legs. “I love it,” she breathed. “It’s perfect.” Eva’s flat expression broke and a bright smile bloomed over her face. She could not stop it. The part of her that was still crafting that alternate world where she and Sebastian were more than friends, more than roommates, was overpowering the cold, rational, professional side that had gotten her through so many years of her life. Eva practically danced across the living room to his side. Without thinking, she grabbed his arm and rose to her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Sebastian,” she said.

Sebastian’s eyes grew wide and he looked down at her, a stunned expression on his face. Eva thought he was looking at her as if he had just seen her for the first time, or as if she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. For a moment, without his hair hiding his face, Eva could see multiple emotions flash across his features. Gone was Sebastian’s usual roguish confidence and snark. All that was left was just him. That moment left Eva feeling both powerful and incredibly vulnerable, and all she could think about was how badly she wanted him to bend down and kiss her. 

Then, the moment passed. “Good,” Sebastian answered. “And you’re welcome.” He smiled at her, his usual half grin returning to his face. “Ready to go?” He bent the arm she was still holding and placed his other hand over her fingers. “My lady,” he added with a slight bow.

Eva rolled her eyes at his addition, trying to ignore the rising disappointment and her racing heartbeat. _We’re just friends. This is for the best._ “Just because it works in the movies does not mean it will work on me, Sebastian,” she said. 

Sebastian laughed as he opened the farmhouse’s front door. “Worth a try,” he answered with a casual shrug. He reached behind them to close the door, barely missing Naru’s tail as the cat bolted outside. Naru swiped at Sebastian’s boot before he bounded down the steps. “Fucking little demon,” Sebastian muttered. Naru stopped at the bottom of the porch steps and turned his yellow eyes back on Sebastian. “I still want to know what you did with that pen.” Naru only blinked at him innocently. 

“Don’t summon any of your demon friends while we’re gone, Naru,” Eva requested sweetly, bending to stroke his ears. Naru meowed in response and curled his fluffy tail over his paws as he watched them walk towards town. His eyes glowed a haunting yellow in the pale light from the full moon. Eva caught Sebastian looking over his shoulder at the black cat as they walked, the bare limbs of the trees overhead and a chill breeze sending dry fallen leaves skittering across their path. She felt his shudder beneath her fingers. “What?” she asked. Her bright smile took on a wicked, teasing edge. Eva had quickly learned, for all of Sebastian’s cockiness and bad boy reputation, he was highly superstitious. He had grown even paler when he had listened to her tell stories of handling magical artifacts when in university, studying to be an archaeologist, one evening over dinner. Magic in stories and fantasy games was fine, apparently, but when it came to magic or the supernatural or anything unable to be explained by science in real life, Sebastian wanted none of it.“You’re not afraid of my black cat on Spirit’s Eve, are you?”

“I can’t decide if your cat is really a cat or not,” he mumbled, pulling his gaze away from where Naru still sat, watching them. “I’m beginning to think he’s actually a demon.”

“What does that say about you?” Eva asked. “He sleeps with you more often than he does with me anymore.”

“I don’t want to know what that means.” Sebastian shuddered again. “Do you know how many times I wake up to find him sitting on my chest, staring at me?” When Eva started laughing, he elbowed her in the side. “It’s not funny. Your cat is plotting to kill me.”

Eva just kept laughing, leaning against Sebastian for support as she laughed herself breathless. It was not long before Sebastian was laughing too, amused by how hard she was laughing. When she began to uncontrollably snort, Sebastian lost it. Eva knew the situation was not that funny, but she could not stop laughing. It was more than Sebastian’s growing fear of Naru, who clearly liked having him around Mistwood Farm. It had been too long since Eva had felt so light, so cared for by someone else. The year’s worries, fears, and anxieties had begun to melt away the moment she had seen the dress. The feel of Sebastian’s cheek beneath her lips had left her feeling energized and giddy in a way she had never felt in her entire life. Eva felt as if she could conquer the world, but, for once, her ambition was quiet, curled up in a deep, dark place inside of her, and she was just content to be celebrating Spirit’s Eve with her friends, knowing Sebastian would be by her side the entire night. When she finally wrestled her laughing under control, she was flushed, still smiling, and breathless. Eva closed her eyes, leaned her head against Sebastian’s shoulder, and listened to the wind whisper through the trees. In that moment, Eva felt the closest to home she had been in years.

**Author's Note:**

> The song at the beginning of the piece is "Disturbia" - The Cab (originally by Rihanna).
> 
> The title comes from this quote: “I chose to live in the Ether, to be starlight and legend....”  
> ― Laurie Perez, The Look of Amie Martine


End file.
